Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) Statewide Review
Description
What is Transit-Oriented Development?
Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) is a planning and development strategy that connects where people live, work, and spend their time with high-quality public transportation. TOD seeks to maximize housing, commercial spaces, and leisure spaces near mass transit, creating an efficient use of space that creates vibrant communities and makes the most use of city resources.
TOD seeks to:
- Build more housing where people want to live and improve affordability
- Make accessing commercial spaces more convenient to local residents
- Improve mobility by connecting people with effective public transportation
- Increase public transportation ridership and reduce congestion by creating more places people travel to and from on public transportation
Why is Transit-Oriented Development Important?
Housing and transportation are the largest costs to American households, the two combining to about half of all household expenses, on average, per year. As the cost of both housing and transportation (especially owning a car) increase, TOD becomes a solution to take on both housing and transportation cost.
By both developing housing and promoting reliable, affordable transportation, TOD addresses rising costs. TOD seeks to build housing near where people want to live, with the amenities and commercial spaces needed to support their communities, addressing housing affordability by meeting supply. TOD seeks to promote transportation affordability by placing housing, jobs, commercial spaces, and leisure spaces closer together, reducing trip times, and connecting these spaces with affordable, reliable transportation.
What is DRPT studying?
Virginia Executive Order 3 created a comprehensive process for addressing housing affordability for all Virginians. As part of this process, DRPT and the Department of Housing and Community Development are conducting a statewide review to plan, promote, and establish funding opportunities for transit-oriented development around existing and proposed transit and rail stations. The review also will include an analysis of potential barriers to housing production and economic development.
DPRT will engage with stakeholders to understand the challenges and opportunities Virginia faces to developing TOD. This will include feedback from stakeholders, to understand the unique needs of localities across the across the Commonwealth.
Process
What is the goal?
- Assess the current state of Transit-Oriented Development in Virginia
- Identify barriers and opportunities to develop Transit-Oriented Development
- Estimate how much housing could be developed under current conditions
- Review where land use and land utilization make sense for TOD
- Recommend proposals that could promote TOD at the State-level